Rising humidity is dangerous and it’s making India’s hot summers worse

On April 30, Mumbai was not having an unusually hot day at 33.9 degrees celsius if we only go by the mercury. But with 69% humidity, the impact felt on the human body was as good as 46 degrees. And this wasn’t even the hottest day of the season. In comparison, the “felt temperature” in Rajasthan’s Barmer with the maximum temperature of 46.8 degrees celsius but 9% humidity (April 30, 5.30 pm) was a lower 43.6 degrees celsius.

As India grows warmer, it is also getting more humid, particularly on the coasts and the North East region which historically have higher humidity as compared to the plains. It is therefore essential to also monitor and study the impact of humidity on heat outcomes and health for hundreds of millions of Indians.

New research shows that the combined effect of temperature higher than 32 degrees and humidity beyond 60% is hazardous for the human body, especially among outdoor workers with sustained exposure. Many stations in Konkan, Goa, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Odisha, West Bengal are surpassing this limit on the daily in summer. What’s more is that the research warns that at temperatures above 32 degrees celsius, each 10% increase in relative humidity resulted in a...

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